talk show host this disillusionment has spurred the government to look around for other partners we are more or she doesn't get is your chinese have builders the bridges and roads that the europeans weren't interested in. for us the chinese have come like a gift from heaven. if you take a verse logos. but also did most of the work. force. and while the e.u. keeps up its demands for a host of reforms china's loans come with no strings attached its message democracy isn't a prerequisite for economic growth. was what. china invests much more in many other european countries and nato members than serbia the chinese kurds are coming in via ports in the north sea. book when dropped into. their they or their from him bones from china. but its own peers that the countries

that profit from china's goods are worried about competition when the southern route is finished usually. and when goods can also be imported through the greek port of pyrite or sort of via via serbia italy. that you want some setting in a competition choice from a chinese investment is dangerous to us. that's the view shared by the serbian government who says it has a friendship of steel with china since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 cooperation has expanded even more. but despite that the european union remains serbia's biggest financial backer serbia is on the fence trying to maximize its gains from both sides. when chinese aid arrived in serbia during the pandemic raging but on as much political spin as

possible. between the lines the message was clear china's success in combating the virus reflected the strengths of the chinese system. what it failed to mention was that the e.u. had paid to transport the aid from china to serbia. how all that. as always our governments emphasis was on the chinese eat they really went overboard. and to the aid from the european union only got mentioned in passing and i reckon that only happened because of public pressure and pressure from the e.u. itself through most of the obvious to most this and that obscure. 50

kilometers from belgrade the belgrade budapest line passes close by a nature conservation area. environmentalist marco you bitch is a regular visitor to the wetlands where he comes to spot species of rare birds. are important busy for many areas and all of the reason is. the water because you know all the newbies are making all on the. level of water is changing so if that lands that out that exist and then it gets carried through will make the big problems for the local cities and villages that are near the danube. you bitch works for the garani nature conservation group on the banks of the danube . he takes local kids on excursions to the wetlands to teach them about biological diversity and the importance of nature. he's worried about what the

railway lines construction will mean for the area. and a lot of for. plant will be destroyed by putting ground and sand for the construction of the rally station. and all the birds and leaving the living structure and plants what their view needs to find some other place to go they can leave and the biggest tickle logical problem that they're rarely station makes. lives and works in. a town of around $8000.00 right on the danube river. but soon the town will be separated from the river by the track. then people will have to take an underpass to reach the danube.

several locals started a petition but they couldn't influence the planning that was already underway for the railway line. more than. the plans had been signed off on without any local input or democratic participation process. trains probably would be better the rail ribbit would be better but to be honest i don't see the full potential of of construction is for the local people. who have nothing for it.

but will because of the metastases have already sprayed it happened very quickly. as we went to the don't to together but she told us my father should stay in hospital overnight so that they could examine the findings. from the moment when i came back the next morning i could already see he wasn't doing well as all the your precious and he died just 30 days later because metta static cancer spreads really fast and gets into the bloodstream really fast she. got on star yak lost his father to lung cancer and 2016. if you talk to people and. you'll hear similar stories over and over again. for a long time or on story arc thought he and his family were the exception. pose their noses from if we were surprised because we thought it was a mistake he never had any complaints he was never saying it will all of who are 1st we were shocked shocked we knew what was happening with the neighbors you could

hear them groaning and gasping for air the gruesome of which would go creates one of the most horrible diseases there is the truth. you have to find and to brief. nor deny it all through it a bit contrary closures are kind of. what. it's all saints' day and people are mourning their dead. few cities in europe have worse air quality than the bosnian city of turns up. during the winter months especially particulates matter and sulphur dioxide levels exceed e.u. limits for weeks at a time. the poor air quality is making people sick but only a few actually complain about it. says his father's death

was a wake up call. there's nothing nice here someone is always seeking everyone is being gradually poisoned and dying out only a few people here die a natural death 90 percent of people die of cancer and almost all of them die before their time wherever in their body their most vulnerable that's where the cancer attacks. to slows air pollution is produced by vehicle and industrial emissions old residential heating systems and decrepit coal fired power plants the bottom line is called power is that. 60 percent of bosnia's total energy is still produced from coal and there are no plans to change that any time soon. a new coal fired power plant is being built

with help from chinese longs. we are in front of the actual construction site for the future blocks of thermal power plant to. actually see the old one which is here since 964 roughly. they claim that the new one is going to replace the old well blocks $3.00 and $4.00 and probably 5. so. we see the trucks working. as they call it the preferred 3 phase. which is done by the local companies. they're actually preparing the construction site for the chinese workers dennis just go has campaigned against pollution here for years bosnia-herzegovina continued reliance on coal angers him as does the deal with the chinese all it means for bosnians is more bad air

thanks to the new block seven-up power plant is being funded largely by money from china. china's ex-im bank has put up more than 600000000 euros in loans to the bosnian state i know for a fact this is something which is going to cost the people. a lots of money and a lot so for the last. years of flight because if they build it if it will continue to work for another 40 years and continue to pull for another 4 years. while the european commission pushes ahead with its phase out of coal power would be e.u. member bosnia-herzegovina isn't giving up. welcome news for china which is also using the new silk road project to advance its supposedly clean coal technology.

china says the tuzla 7 law will meet all e.u. standards in tuzla of the deal with china is being hailed as a success the power plant is the biggest employer here by far. in the negotiations i'm prepared to re phase of these deal the chinese. showed a high level of professionalism that people person on earth can is an e.s.o.p. long 7 isn't pantheons to project. present in serbia from long time. the chinese who we were involved with. knew our culture and our country. although they were familiar with the economic and social situation here. in our own or almost all saw brain shorter's would be able to carry out these projects and they had references because all those what differently. it might look inviting but these waters are awash with highly toxic chemicals they're the waste product of the power

plant a few kilometers away. the waste is disposed of in the surrounding environment and left to seep into the groundwater. dennis is just going his team have complained for years that there are no environmental standards when it comes to getting rid of the waste produced by the power plant. that's also the case for the new chinese block under construction. ah it's basically killing people in nature i mean that that's the shortest explanation you can get there are no proper prevention measures for this to prevent this pollution to spread around in the area there are no liners to prevent this water to penetrate and poison the underground water there are no prevention measures once the surface dries out in summer the wind just picks up the dust and takes it fear into the

center of town. disco is a breach of the bosnian government signed the deal with the chinese he doesn't hold the chinese investors responsible though he sees his own government as largely to blame there is a market our politicians are interested in doing building coal power plants and china is the only one providing a lot of willing to give loans for such projects. when we had many things in the chinese embassy let's say 56 years ago. when we asked the same question why why are you providing loans for coal and not for renewables for wind for solar for what they were because they produced everything and the answer was very simple it's your authorities which are asking us loans for this type of technology if they're asked for wind or if that for for for solar we would be more than happy to provide that also.

dennis just go has invited politicians energy policy experts and concerned citizens to a round table meeting near the power plant this evening. the big question how should the surrounding towns and cities deal with the power plant waste the ash the dust for the next 40 years. zila no oz or the green away seas between tuzla and the town of luke are terribly polluted by industry but also by private households with their own heating systems and by traffic emission the scope of those little initially just shouldn't be destroying even more nature in our region by turning it into a bumping site for action up the city. residents here are no longer willing to accept the waste on their doorsteps. or on story act also helps to raise the pressure on

the politicians and force them to take action. i understand people who work in the energy sector their whole business model rests on block 7 being built. and on doing all of that now that wouldn't be easy. even so dennis has managed to get the issue on to the agenda. and the local politicians have agreed to try to find a different disposal site for the power plant waste. site far enough away to spare . i'm the to. open. 18 daily is the mayor of luca botts the town right next to. its election campaign time. they let chan is supporters are cleaning up the river. the politician says the new total

box 7 guarantees no one need worry they'll have to go without energy. our economy as it is now is very much depends from and the just sector so right now we have existing terminal power plant which will stop in next 5 years so in order to ensure continuation of energy we need to replace this all blocks with what 7 and what is also from if you come to consider investing in building or book 7 will rapidly increase and more a mental situation in this area even with same level of energy produced the argument is that a modern coal fired power plant will help protect the environment and the shift away from coal to renewables is just not affordable at the moment for bosnia-herzegovina one of europe's poorest countries investment from china means opportunities if you don't mind i will be very open very direct with thankful to

everybody who support or invest here he doesn't matter this from china or from turkey or any other country and i'm sure most people will be even more happy if you european community come with some other solution better than. china or any other country. lives with his family and book in your district not far from the power plant. right behind his house is an old ashdown. there used to be 500 residents here now there are only 100 his are the only children. he'd like to see bosnia phase out coal power more quickly. proly national museum reason is you our problem is that we're surrounded by waste disposal dumps we live between 2 coal ash dumps and a thermal power plant system you know those in the church richard we're hoping for a change in the government so that the west can have some influence clearly at the

moment the government is only acting in its own interests and doesn't care about the people here. who are the. pushtun. who. will be in. the rail corridor that begins at the greek port of pirates and travels by in belgrade is meant to end one day in budapest it will become the delivery route for many chinese goods coming to the you. hungary's close ties with china go back decades we come to meet get a gay charlotte an expert on china and its policy and he's taking us through budapest's chinatown. from here chinese goods go on to be distributed around europe

it's it all started in $1809.00. and for some reason hungary and china. reached an agreement about not requiring visas from each other in $1809.00 after he and imam square massacre. actually another political refugees but many small businessman left the country and they looked at the map they tried to find a country that. they could reach easily and they found out that i'm going to be integrated from them so about a $50000.00 chinese small businessman came to hungary very suddenly. of these 50000 around 30000 remain today. since hungry became the 1st eastern european country to officially sign up to the new silk road initiative in 2011 their numbers have grown further. but

traditionally the chinese population here keeps to itself. vision she's family story is a typical 130 years ago his parents came to hungary on business but he grew up back in china 10 years ago he came here himself to work. with me my parents don't live here anymore but some of my other relatives do you know when i left school and was looking for a job i realized that opportunities outside china were a lot better some of my relatives were already in hungary and so i came here to help them. she feels at home here it was the hung guerin's have been very open toward him also an important factor and business is good. as a member of the e.u.

hungary offers easy access to the rest of europe how much of that business might involve illegal dealings no one knows for certain. i believe the fact that the government is quite friendly to the chinese immigrants vs the whole policy toward china and chinese people in hungary reflects. a desire to have. close relations with china and that's why i say is that. going to government is quite on friendly to immigrants. in hungary in public discourse of chinese people living here they do not count as immigrants. indeed victoria or bonn rarely passes up an opportunity to publicly his chinese partners it's no accident that it also sends a message to the new hungry has its sights set on the east. beyond

crucial to develop this region we need external technologies and financial help for you for european money alone is no longer enough so we welcome as a sign of a new world order but china is looking to replace region as a place to get involved in development yankee violently under this new world order hungry has decided to profit from china as much as it can. and that despite the fact that most of the money flowing into the country comes from the e.u. . and yet again shell out works for hungary's institute for foreign affairs and trade which also produces analyses or the foreign ministry. i don't think that this is only the one getting government maybe the government is the loudest in the region but all of central and eastern europe too are trying. about 10 years ago and he became too dependent on the rest in turning to the east.

these countries try to get some more room to manouver and they are trying to. decrease their over dependence on the best. the railway line that the chinese engineers are already working on in belgrade will one day and into the past. though the project is much vaunted by the hungary government construction still hasn't begun. bennett at sale has been a member of the hungry in parliament since 2012 she's a boucle critic of prime minister orbán and his government her chief concern is the rule of law in our country and the increasing pivot towards an autocratic china

it's very clear that to me all we want to live in a liberal modelled a liberal democracy here in fingery or one doesn't need say once the war the leave it alone way and the chinese what they can see they do not really see they do with any questions about the good of democracy values or didn't have any expectations about the democratic but the european ties they do have. the e.u. commission has sharply criticized the rail project not least because it initially lacked the public tender required under e.u. rules. hungry finally addressed concerns by giving the project to a joint on kerry and chinese venture. work on the route is estimated to cost $1800000000.00 euros 85 percent is loans from china. there's a this is our show you can't record you on the champ bag our flagship of our joint

project since the modernization of the town's grade passed round when i of the age of us at age programme research is going to be of strategic importance for transportation on the new silk road that's more. than nearly a nation doesn't need this investment it doesn't need we don't need the railway from budapest in belgrade at all it would need this money to their very own already existing river system because it's a very bad shape and the situation is even the very worst because we are very soft with this investment arm the chinese lol is pretty big for the hanging ariens and then you will never. get to the end get back. not far from central budapest parent will eventually be their final station on the

belgrade budapest line. it's the only new silk road project that china and hungary are currently working on. all the money that hungary's been hoping to see from china hasn't become clawing at. could the chinese be losing interest in central and eastern europe. and most of the governments. in this region believe that the chinese are coming due to the barracks full of money and they will invest here and they will be all those roads and railways and everything that we want this actually has not happened and many countries became disappointed in china but i'm going to steal the stink story let's be real to try to get as much. assistance from china as possible. but i would advise them to be more realistic i'm realize that even dorner chinese

are very good in making you feel that you are a very special partner for them. they baby are not brave very significant ordinary economy or foreign greedy and foreseeable future. the belgrade budapest route is planned for completion in 2025 it would be the film and of china's dream the 1st chinese built railway line to finally reach a european union.

deep beneath the waves norway wants to fight climate change by storing carbon dioxide emissions in the ocean floor and. problem solved. the project promises to be a lucrative business. but critics of the technology fear it mean problems and are calling for a return to natural theology storage. it's d.w.

. stay up to date don't miss our highlights. program online w dot com highlights. they were forced into an aimless mass. their bodies here to know. the history of the slave trade is africa's history. to sometimes hold it for power and profit plummeted and entire continent into chaos and violence. this is the journey back into the history of slavery. our documentary series slavery routes starts march 10th on g.w.

. visiting us we news live from berlin as the bloodiest day so far in the recent myanmar fro democracy protests police opened fire on the protesters with live rounds killing 18 people according to the united nations will catch up with an activist and mandela also on the show. as over 390 arion girls kidnapped from school on friday remain may.